American professional golfer Arnold Daniel Palmer is generally considered to be among the sport’s all-time greats and a fascinating character (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016).
His winning streak on the PGA Tour and its predecessor, the PGA Tour Champions, dates all the way back to 1955. Palmer, who was known as “The King” among golf fans, was an innovator and the first major star of the 1950s–1960s era of golf on television.
Arnold Palmer Net Worth
Arnold Palmer built a fortune of $700 million as a professional golfer and businessman in the United States. Many rank him among the all-time greats in golf. Arnold made about $1.3 billion (after inflation) from endorsement deals and business enterprises throughout his lifetime, which is rather remarkable.
He won 62 times on the PGA Tour and 10 times on the Championship Tour, among his numerous victories and titles. To the World Golf Hall of Fame he was elected in 1974. As one of “The Big Three” in golf—along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player—Palmer’s accomplishments as a player garnered him international recognition and helped bring the sport to a wider audience.
Arnold Palmer Early Life
Latrobe, Pennsylvania is the site of Arnold Daniel Palmer’s birth on September 10, 1929. Palmer grew up playing golf under the tutelage of his father, who was the head professional and greenkeeper at Latrobe Country Club.
After the death of his best buddy Bud Worsham, he resigned from his golf scholarship at Wake Forest University. Palmer then served from 1951 to 1954 as an enlistee in the United States Coast Guard. He went back to school and played golf competitively when his stint in the Coast Guard ended.
Arnold Palmer Professional Golf Career
Palmer decided to become a professional golfer after taking home the U.S. Amateur trophy in Detroit in 1954. During his rookie year of 1955, he won the Canadian Open, collecting $2,400. It was his first tour triumph. He won $11,250 at the 1958 Masters Tournament, his first major title. Mark McCormack, a trailblazing sports agent, signed him as his first client by 1960.
Many people believe that Palmer was instrumental in getting golf on television in the 1950s and 1960s. His agent, McCormack, said that he was highly marketable due to his attractiveness, affability, golfing prowess, willingness to take risks, modest background, and emotional transparency.
His outstanding play at the 1960 British Open won him many admirers in the UK and Europe, even though he was let down by finishing in second place. His presence at the British Open also persuaded a number of American golfers, who had previously only made a handful of such trips, that it was worthwhile to do so. The Open Championship was his to win in 1961 and 1962; he didn’t play in it again until 1995.
Along with the Masters Tournament (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964), the U.S. Open (1960), and The Open Championship (1961, 1962), Palmer amassed seven major titles throughout his career. His best years were 1960–1963, when he won 29 PGA Tour events over the course of four seasons. Additionally, he won a PGA Tour event each from 1955 to 1971.
Also, he didn’t miss a Masters Tournament since 2004—the 50th straight year he played. He became the first man to reach $1 million in career earnings on the PGA tour in 1967, and his achievement brought him a big fan base and following. Although he was an honorary starter for the Masters from 2007 till his death, he formally retired from tournament gold on October 13, 2006.
Arnold Palmer Entrepreneurial Ventures
Many of Palmer’s enterprises were associated with the game of golf. He was the owner of the Orlando, Florida-based Bay Hill Club and Lodge, which hosts the Arnold Palmer Invitational (formerly called the Bay Hill Invitational until 2007 when it was changed) on the PGA Tour. In 1971, he bought the Latrobe Country Club and was a co-founder of the golf channel, a sports network.
With Ed Seay, a fellow designer, he established Palmer Course Design in 1972; in 2006, the firm changed its name to Arnold Palmer Design Company. More than three hundred golf courses throughout twenty-seven nations and five continents (not including Antarctica) were Palmer’s creations. Among these is the 1988-built first-modern golf course in China.
In 1974, Palmer and his business partners Mark McCormack and Don Massey bought a Cadillac dealership in Charlotte, North Carolina. This was Palmer’s foray into the automotive industry. Arnold Palmer Motors, a Buick-Cadillac dealership in his hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, served customers for 36 years before closing its doors in 2017. He went on to buy additional businesses in several states.
Arnold Palmer Enterprises oversaw all of Palmer’s sponsorships, licensing, spokesman deals, and business associates. Arnold Palmers, his signature drinks made with iced tea and lemonade, are among his most famous creations. This particular combination was one that Palmer himself was known to order and consume often.
Arizona Beverage Company has been selling the drink mix with a photo of Arnold Palmer and his signature on the bottle under the Arnold Palmer trademark since 2002. This beverage is also sold by other companies like as Snapple, Lipton Brisk, and Nestea, but it does not bear the Arnold Palmer trademark.
Arnold Palmer Death
Palmer was admitted to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to undergo heart surgery on September 25, 2016, however he did not survive.
Arnold Palmer: My Own Life
For 45 years, Palmer was wed to Winnie Walzer (1934–1999). Their union produced two daughters. Her battle with ovarian cancer was a tragic end in 1999. One more professional golfer from Palmer’s family: Sam Saunders. He became professional in 2008 after attending South Carolina’s Clemson University on a golf scholarship.
Kathleen Gawthrop was Palmer’s second wife, and the wedding took place in 2005. In an effort to overcome his personal phobia of flying, Palmer pursued the certificate of aerial transport pilot. He flew for approximately 55 years, during which time he accumulated nearly 20,000 hours in different planes.
Palmer established the youth-focused Arnie’s Army Charitable Foundation. The Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, the Howard Philips Center for Children & Families, the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies Center, and the former were all overseen by the Foundation.
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